WISH Away the Pounds--January 2013 challenge--Everyone Welcome!

Tell me a story about your life using as many smilies as possible (well... limit 25 or the post won't go!)!

Here is my example:

Today I don't have to or do I definitely won't spend the day today or eating . I will definitely be in the tonight, driving DD to the eye doctor and then to swim.

My is ready to go out and chase a so I need to get off the and get on with my day!

I you all and hope you have a day filled with

BONUS QOTD:

What kind of changes are you making in your KITCHEN to make it as conducive to healthy eating as possible?? ..............P

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Well, heres my go!! (I'm not good with smileys)

So this morning I woke up to find it was rather as the temp outside was -6C. I was feeling pretty because I had an exam at University and didn't get a of sleep and had a . to class in my but it was a bit slippy on the roads. Arrived early so got myself a and had a with some of the other students. All too soon it was time to go in. All quiet as we had to to the instructions, then we were given the paper. Was a bit whaen I saw the questions, but all too soon 3 hours had whizzed by and it was over. Everyone was when it was all over.
Came home to chill out and a bit with my DIS friends and try to chill. OH is on his way home to give me a big

Hope I did OK!!!

The breadmaker and the deep fat frier have both been banished to the garage. All 'bad' things are in the bottom drawer of the freezer (where I can ignore them) and I've been making stuff in the slow cooker so that it's ready when I get in from work to reduce the temptation of take-out!

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Have you tried volunteering? It helps you to network and keeps your resume current. I had not worked in many years and when my DS went to college I volunteered for a non-profit and within a month was offered a full time job. I ended up job sharing and have been there since 2009, so this was during the height of the recession. Good luck!

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I do volunteer at my sons school two afternoons a week and I work from home part time aiding an adoption agency with answering emails, updating their social networking pages, and researching post adoption support services for international adoptions. Dh is happy to have me home and so is ds. I enjoyed working outside the home though. Before I got sick last year I worked as an independent consultant for a couple of law offices and loved it most of the time. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hi everybody! I just found this thread the other day so I'm a bit late jumping in. I have 9 pounds to go to hit my goal weight and hope to be there by May. My weight loss has been notoriously slow, but at least those numbers usually keep going in the right direction! I'll just be lurking for now but if this continues in February, I'm in! nice work everyone!

Tell me a story about your life using as many smilies as possible (well... limit 25 or the post won't go!)!

Here is my example:

Today I don't have to or do I definitely won't spend the day today or eating . I will definitely be in the tonight, driving DD to the eye doctor and then to swim.

My is ready to go out and chase a so I need to get off the and get on with my day!

I you all and hope you have a day filled with

BONUS QOTD:

What kind of changes are you making in your KITCHEN to make it as conducive to healthy eating as possible?? ..............P

Click to expand...

Trying to figure out what to do for exercise today. I work at 4 so whatever I do needs to not be too long. I'd swim but it's still really crowded at the pool being January. I'm down another pound though I don't want to mess it up. Sorry about the smiley thing but I'm trying to watch a movie and catch up--this free showtime has been my salvation this week but today it is a curse!

Having the fridge clean is huge, I'd still like to organize the freezer and cupboards though. Maybe I'll just try to get some things done today until work.

Thanks for the shout out! I see a few of my fave peeps on here from the exercise thread so ola chicas!

Glad you saw some familiar faces!

BONUS QOTD: The only thing I can do to make my kitchen healthier would be to make the DH stop doing the grocery shopping!!! (He's home more often than I am so he likes to get everything done so I don't have to ) but he REFUSES to not buy junk food. I don't have a problem not eating all the crap, but it would be so nice to open my pantry and not see chips, fruit rollups, cookies, etc. I would give anything to be able to chuck it all in the trash but he'd have a !!

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That is one chore that I would NOT let my DH tackle! I would be afraid of what the grocery budget would look like and what the pantry would look like. Not so much JUNK food, as DH follows Atkins and doesn't indulge in junk, but he NEVER seems to follow the sales or look at unit prices.... and he doesn't really seem to know what I commonly stock in the kitchen.

Will answer QOTD when I'm home. Don't know how to smilies on my phone.
Having a good day so far today. Hit the grocery for some essentials and picked up some fruit for me and the kids and some apple cinnamon rice cakes, love those. Also picked up 3 flats of water for DS16.
Need to run over to Target for Brita filters so I can start using that again.
Lunch at panera today, god choices. Unsweetened iced tea, chicken soup, 1/2 turkey sandwich (no mayo) and an apple. Total 330 calories. Apple pushed me slightly above my allotment for lunch but frankly I'm so full I doubt I'll have a snack. For 4 servings of water in today too.

Sounds like you made good choices in a tough situation~!

Quick question about dinner. We are having tacos, how do I keep it low cal? I was thinking about making 2 dishes, one with beef and one with turkey, but the kids are all going to want beef so I might have to make 2 beef and one turkey.

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BEANS! Add refried beans to the ground beef after it is cooked and seasoned. Or just straight-up beans (if no one objects). You could also start adding finely chopped veggies to the taco meat. I usually stick with the "usual" of onions and peppers, but have been known to toss in finely chopped sauteed mushrooms as well. I figure I have gotten it down to about 1/3 veggies and 2/3 lean (browned, drained, and RINSED) ground beef.

Also.... DH and I don't eat tacos, per say. We have a HUGE salad with taco filling on top (meat for DH, refried beans for me, tomato, and a nicely crushed taco shell for some crunch! I use the combo creamy/salsa dressing I mentioned a few days ago). Kids still have regular tacos usually.

Regarding the changes in my kitchen - Something I saw on The Biggest Loser over the weekend really hit home. The nutritionist that went to the kids home threw out all the junk, which I know is what you should do. Then she said that it's ok to have that type of food once in awhile and on special occassions, yes I know this too, but what struck a chord with me was when she said "it just should be in the home" - a lightbulb went off over my head.

This was one of those things that I've known all along but for whatever reason I never paid attention to and just didn't think about it. We're going big grocery shopping this weekend and I"ll be keeping this in mind. No more ice cream at home, just because, or potato chips because we need something to snack on. I think this will help a lot when it comes to sticking to my plan.

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I think you meant "should NOT" be in the home.

I agree! My kids are allowed the occasional soda, french fries, when we are out, etc.... but they are NEVER served at home. DD has pretty much given up even having soda out because she knows the sugar is terrible for her, but DS still loves it. I do buy him a jug of the SodaStream all-natural root beer syrup for Christmas... and he knows he needs to make it last! He usually makes it when he has a friend over or something like that.

Frankly speaking, I am so surprised at how many folks here constantly complain about how hard it is to resist the kids junk food. Don't they realize that the KIDS shouldn't be eating it either?????? DON'T BUY IT!! And DON'T let the KIDS coerce you into it! If they wanted to start smoking, you wouldn't let them, right? SO STOP LETTING THEM DEVELOP BAD FOOD HABITS THAT WILL HAUNT THEM THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!

So this morning I woke up to find it was rather as the temp outside was -6C. I was feeling pretty because I had an exam at University and didn't get a of sleep and had a . to class in my but it was a bit slippy on the roads. Arrived early so got myself a and had a with some of the other students. All too soon it was time to go in. All quiet as we had to to the instructions, then we were given the paper. Was a bit whaen I saw the questions, but all too soon 3 hours had whizzed by and it was over. Everyone was when it was all over.
Came home to chill out and a bit with my DIS friends and try to chill. OH is on his way home to give me a big

Hope I did OK!!!

Great story!! Glad the exam is over and you can relax!

The breadmaker and the deep fat frier have both been banished to the garage. All 'bad' things are in the bottom drawer of the freezer (where I can ignore them) and I've been making stuff in the slow cooker so that it's ready when I get in from work to reduce the temptation of take-out!

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Knowing that there is a delicious yummy warm meal all ready and waiting at home is a GREAT incentive to avoid the drive-thru! I have a few good recipes if you are looking for any.

I do volunteer at my sons school two afternoons a week and I work from home part time aiding an adoption agency with answering emails, updating their social networking pages, and researching post adoption support services for international adoptions. Dh is happy to have me home and so is ds. I enjoyed working outside the home though. Before I got sick last year I worked as an independent consultant for a couple of law offices and loved it most of the time. Thanks for the suggestion.

Trying to figure out what to do for exercise today. I work at 4 so whatever I do needs to not be too long. I'd swim but it's still really crowded at the pool being January. I'm down another pound though I don't want to mess it up. Sorry about the smiley thing but I'm trying to watch a movie and catch up--this free showtime has been my salvation this week but today it is a curse!

Having the fridge clean is huge, I'd still like to organize the freezer and cupboards though. Maybe I'll just try to get some things done today until work.

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I totally agree on the "January" comment! The gym is always crowded in January! Usually by February it has died down and by March it usually seems back to normal. I did my workout at home today even thought DD will be at the Y for 2.5 hours tonight... partly to avoid the gym crowd and partly because I way prefer a morning workout.

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Evening friends! WOW..... this day absolutely whizzed by! But the Christmas tree is empty and out the door, all of the ornaments and lights are packed up and the boxes are carried downstairs (although they weren't put away very neatly). Furniture is MOSTLY back where it belongs and everything was vacummed and swept.

DD is wearing her new contacts tonight. We'll see how that goes with swim practice.

I have a handful of errands to run tonight while she swims. I have a few late Christmas returns to do and need a few things from the grocery (why can't I ever seem to get it all at once??). Then I will get back to the Y and HOPEFULLY the wi-fi will be working! I've been very frustrated with it not working lately. I've complained twice, but it hasn't improved.

Been pushing the water and green tea today. Hopefully tomorrow's weigh in is a good one. At this point I would be happy with a maintain from last week, since I had such a good loss last week.

This is my last day coaching, so I will just say "It's been GREAT!" I love coaching, but will be happy to step back and let the next Coach Extraordinare step in!

As far as "quirky" ways to exercise. Stretching after the shower with my leg up on the counter. I have plantar faciitis and am TRYING to get those muscles to loosen up. My flexibility was always bad and now it is worse due to back injuries.

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I am constantly fighting back, p-f, itbs, etc problems. Have you tried yoga? It makes a huge difference. There are lots of degrees of difficulty when it comes to yoga, and frankly I find it very boring sometimes, but especially after my last batch of injuries it really helped me to get back to doing the things I love.

And speaking of coaching, Rose has kindly let me recruit coaches for next month's challenge on her thread. So if you have ever considered coaching and would like to give it a try please PM me. These are the weeks that are available:

2/1-2/7
2/8-2/14 Flossbolna
2/15-2/21 jillbur (Jill)
2/22-2/28

Have a great day all!

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Recruit away. I am really pleased with how well the new format is working!

Hi everybody! I just found this thread the other day so I'm a bit late jumping in. I have 9 pounds to go to hit my goal weight and hope to be there by May. My weight loss has been notoriously slow, but at least those numbers usually keep going in the right direction! I'll just be lurking for now but if this continues in February, I'm in! nice work everyone!

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A new thread will be launched each month, but you are more than welcome to jump in this month if you would like. Read the first page and if you want you can pm your starting weight and goal.

I agree! My kids are allowed the occasional soda, french fries, when we are out, etc.... but they are NEVER served at home. DD has pretty much given up even having soda out because she knows the sugar is terrible for her, but DS still loves it. I do buy him a jug of the SodaStream all-natural root beer syrup for Christmas... and he knows he needs to make it last! He usually makes it when he has a friend over or something like that.

Frankly speaking, I am so surprised at how many folks here constantly complain about how hard it is to resist the kids junk food. Don't they realize that the KIDS shouldn't be eating it either?????? DON'T BUY IT!! And DON'T let the KIDS coerce you into it! If they wanted to start smoking, you wouldn't let them, right? SO STOP LETTING THEM DEVELOP BAD FOOD HABITS THAT WILL HAUNT THEM THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!

(quietly steps off soap box)

This is my last day coaching, so I will just say "It's been GREAT!" I love coaching, but will be happy to step back and let the next Coach Extraordinare step in!

TTYL..........................P

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Thank you so much for coaching Pamela!

Mike and I have talked several times about the fact that when we were growing up soda, fast food and even most sweets were treats. Having soda was a HUGE deal and so was fast food. I have definitely been guilty of too much junk, but it does make is so much easier when it is just not in the house!

No work for me today!! They didn't call, but I probably wouldn't have been able to work anyhow, as I have to pick up DD at 1:25 for an eye appointment.... contact lens fitting!! I think she is excited. I encouraged her to get glasses, but she absolutely hated herself in every single pair she tried on. I ADORE my contacts, so it would be hard for me to insist on glasses. Hopefully she keeps better control of them than she did her retainer.... which is missing at the moment!

Off to post the QOTD and get the ornaments off the tree!!............P

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I hope your DD enjoys her contacts. It was such a big step for my 2 sons when they got them.

Hi everybody! I just found this thread the other day so I'm a bit late jumping in. I have 9 pounds to go to hit my goal weight and hope to be there by May. My weight loss has been notoriously slow, but at least those numbers usually keep going in the right direction! I'll just be lurking for now but if this continues in February, I'm in! nice work everyone!

Tell me a story about your life using as many smilies as possible (well... limit 25 or the post won't go!)!

Here is my example:

Today I don't have to or do I definitely won't spend the day today or eating . I will definitely be in the tonight, driving DD to the eye doctor and then to swim.

My is ready to go out and chase a so I need to get off the and get on with my day!

I you all and hope you have a day filled with

BONUS QOTD:

What kind of changes are you making in your KITCHEN to make it as conducive to healthy eating as possible?? ..............P

Click to expand...

I like the question today Pam!

Well, I am as I watch the Office. I also watched 30 Rock and Parks and Rec and couldn't stop . I am sitting near my and he wants me to turn off the light. But, I can't see without it.

I went to a 75% sale and I'm in with the sweaters I found.

I am back to working on the musical program this year and I already have a ! Annie is our selection and the lead is . Well, going to get my PJs on after I . Have a day tomorrow!

Bonus: We have NO junk sitting around the house. We actually went to my middle son's doctor's appointment about his weight and the doctor asked the same question. And my son (to our happiness) said there was NOTHING in the house to eat besides healthy snacks .... and my son was also laughing about it. (In the past he would have been angry about this.) He told the doctor this always happens when his parents are dieting!

Also does anyone use a food scale? I think we need one. Our portions need to be reigned in. Where do you guys shop for the little things that help you out?

I am celebrating successes! I upped my fruit and veggies yesterday. That is big for us and a step in the right direction.

As far as "quirky" ways to exercise. Stretching after the shower with my leg up on the counter. I have plantar faciitis and am TRYING to get those muscles to loosen up. My flexibility was always bad and now it is worse due to back injuries.

I would love nothing more than to go GUNGHO on exercise but I am limited, which sucks.

I have to force myself to go slow, which is really hard for me.

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For the PF, if you aren't doing this already one of my common "quirky" PF exercises is to stop on every step on the way up the stairs and let my heels drop off the back of the step (hold on to the rail!!) for a few seconds. You can do it on the way down but you have to walk backwards so be careful! Stretches the arch and the calves.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my insulated water bottle. I don't have the Hydroflask but a similar one. I have one by Thermos and it is my constant companion. I had 2 but actually lost one this weekend. I am hoping it shows up. I love cold water so having ice water around the clock that I can just keep refilling and sipping is great.

I want a new scale. I just haven't really looked for one yet. I have an old digital WW one. My recommendation is to get one that you can put a full size plate on and still be able to read the numbers. I like to just put my dinner plate on the scale and then put the food directly on it rather than dirty additional dishes and have to keep transferring the food from one place to the other. Definitely get one that is digital and can do both ounces and grams.

Quick question about dinner. We are having tacos, how do I keep it low cal? I was thinking about making 2 dishes, one with beef and one with turkey, but the kids are all going to want beef so I might have to make 2 beef and one turkey.

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I know you have already had dinner but this leads me to question that I think I have asked before: Is there a benefit to using turkey over beef? I can only find ground turkey or chicken in the local stores that is about 93% lean, which is the same as the ground beef we use. Nutritionally it is really just about the same, and in some cases, depending on the brand the turkey is actually more calories and/or fat and sometimes less protein. My family doesn't like turkey so we just use beef and like P said, cook, drain very well and rinse with hot water.

And I agree with all her great suggestions. I like to have black beans and/or fat free refried beans to add some more protein and good carbs. Also use plain ff greek yogurt instead of sour cream. We use grated sharp cheddar cheese because you get more flavor in a smaller amount.

Well except that I don't think I will be having dinner. Too tired to make anything, don't really have anything to make and nothing sounds good anyway. Everything I want has gluten and that would be a good idea. All the gf options I have aren't worth the carbs! I am so absolutely tired that I just want to crawl into bed.

I did have one huge bright spot because I totally forgot that today is my house cleaning day. A friend of mine cleans houses and comes here once a month. It is worth every penny (and she doesn't charge much!). It is so wonderful to come home to a clean house with sparkling bathrooms, mopped and vacuumed floors, and a clean kitchen. Of course since I forgot she was coming we didn't clean up the clutter so I am rather embarrassed about that. And I really hope no one left their dirty underwear on the bathroom floor!

Weather is getting bad and we expect snow overnight. Everyone was taking bets on if school would be closed or delayed. My guess is just a 2 hour delay. But the forecast seems to be changing to maybe not really any snow so could be a normal day. I really want to sleep in! Probably won't know until around 5am. I think they will wait until the last minute to decide. Most other districts around us have already announced a delay.

So since I may be up at zero dark thirty I am going to crawl to bed. Everyone have a great Friday!

Tell me a story about your life using as many smilies as possible (well... limit 25 or the post won't go!)!

BONUS QOTD:

What kind of changes are you making in your KITCHEN to make it as conducive to healthy eating as possible?? ..............P

Click to expand...

Had a day at work... just very stressful and inducing... was required to all day even though I had so much to be doing out in the field. I how they expect us to keep up... Not making choices the last few days, diet but exercise ! Plus my and I decided to move back the wedding date, due to $, guess I will have to wait longer to be , . Oh, and DS's big day is on Monday! Have to figure out how to avoid the ! Ok, ok I will stop and go get myself a

QOTD: my fave exercise is any high intensity aerobics. Right now I'm doing turbo fire. In m former life (before kids) I was a gym rat and loved spending 2 hours a day 6 days a week at the gym doing free weights and the elliptical and stair master... But I don't have time like that anymore!

Thank you for coaching last week Pamela! And for taking over this week Emily!

Pamela--I missed that your DD is getting contacts. Tom got them in 7th or 8th grade (can't remember) and always did really well with them. He's pretty blind without some form of corrective lens, so that might be part of it. But he misplaced lots of other things but never lost his glasses or contacts. I bet she'll do great with them!

QOTD: I'm partial to walking because I can do it anywhere, anytime. Plus it's low impact.

Bonus QOTD: Wife, Mom, HR Consultant, and all around fun person!

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Right now my favorite form of exercise is anything that doesn't involve running. Actually I love to run, I am just burned out and looking forward to getting back into a routine that involves more classes and less ridiculously long runs.

10 words: I have to think about this one.

Hope everyone has a great Friday! Off to run my mile and get ready for work.

Hi! Back with little to no hope of actually catching up. The WDW half was great! I finished in 2:19:02, justifying my corral placement (which I'd worried was too high), and I felt great, albeit tired, afterward. My only hitch was when I went to grab my bag of energy chews a little before halfway - and they were gone! I had a mini breakdown & then sucked it up, made a backup plan, and kept going. DH and I are planning to do the Goofy in a year to cross the full off our bucket list. Can't believe I'm really planning to do that...

I planned to take a few days off from running to recover and regroup before I start getting ready for the next half (Nike in April!), and my body agreed, finally coming down with some of the crud going around. I started feeling ick at my rehearsal last night, and I'm pulling a sick day today. Time to rest & hydrate. I have a huge solo on Sunday and random stuff to do later today, so I'm going to see how I feel tomorrow and maybe head out for an "easy" couple of miles tomorrow when it's a little warmer. I hate getting sick!!! At least it's a long weekend.

QOTD: I'm partial to walking because I can do it anywhere, anytime. Plus it's low impact.

Bonus QOTD: Wife, Mom, HR Consultant, and all around fun person!

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First off, thank you for the warm welcome everybody! I'm still trying to figure out how this whole thing works so bear with me.

Fave exercise-without a doubt RUNNING! You can do it anywhere and it's the only thing that has consistently helped me both lose and keep my weight in check. Hardly a speed demon, but at least (minus the injury time) I'm up off the couch. And at the risk of sounding , don't think I'm in too bad of shape compared to many other 45 year-old women I know. (Forgive me for the self-induced ego trip, having a low-esteem kind of day...)!

That is one chore that I would NOT let my DH tackle! I would be afraid of what the grocery budget would look like and what the pantry would look like. Not so much JUNK food, as DH follows Atkins and doesn't indulge in junk, but he NEVER seems to follow the sales or look at unit prices.... and he doesn't really seem to know what I commonly stock in the kitchen.

Do you have kids?? I noticed you mentioned fruit roll-ups.

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My husband has a 12-year old daughter who has, by no choice due to my health freakiness, become somewhat of a better eater. When she asks if she can have a junkie snack, I tell her to try and have some cheese or something other than fried, sugary, or just plain crap. Her usual reply is "okay".

DH on the other hand is a control-freak about the grocery shopping, mainly because he knows I would probably put us in the poor house shopping at "Whole Paycheck Supermarket". He's very sensitive about his eating habits and even though he has improved somewhat since hooking up with me, I still cringe at alot of what he does chow on. He's a perfect example of what I call "mindless eating". He sits on the couch at night, reading the paper on his phone, chowing down on Cheetos and marshmellows . I don't think he even really realizes what he's doing. He does run with me and loves our elliptical, and works his butt off doing stuff around the house, but it's so hard to find that happy middle ground with him where he won't get upset because I'm trying to nicely stay on his case about his eating habits. Men!

I am constantly fighting back, p-f, itbs, etc problems. Have you tried yoga? It makes a huge difference. There are lots of degrees of difficulty when it comes to yoga, and frankly I find it very boring sometimes, but especially after my last batch of injuries it really helped me to get back to doing the things I love.

Thanks for the yoga recommendations. I think I might pull out a Yoga video or Wii game and try some today. I haven't been able to get to the chiropractor and I'm really getting sore and stiff. Maybe some yoga would help!

Thank you so much for coaching Pamela!

You are SO welcome!!

Mike and I have talked several times about the fact that when we were growing up soda, fast food and even most sweets were treats. Having soda was a HUGE deal and so was fast food. I have definitely been guilty of too much junk, but it does make is so much easier when it is just not in the house!

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Out of sight, out of mind, right??

Mary"Poppins;47224965 said:

I hope your DD enjoys her contacts. It was such a big step for my 2 sons when they got them.

She wore glasses briefly (like a few weeks) in elementary school, but hated them. Tried them again (even more briefly!) in middle school and hated them again. But now she is desperate. She has been having trouble seeing the Acti-Board at school and while she did pass the State eye exam for her license in September, she knows that she should have corrective lenses to drive. Hopefully she will keep up with the cleaning and such.

I like the question today Pam!

Oh good! Not an original idea though. Someone posted as the QOTD a few seasons ago. But it was so much fun, I thought we'd try it again!

I went to a 75% sale and I'm in with the sweaters I found.

Oh good! I hit the clearance racks at TJ Maxx last night. I didn't intend to shop, but had a return and started browsing. I tried on about 11 items and only ended up purchasing one! And it figures, it was the most expensive item I picked up! But I think every woman should have at least ONE cashmere sweater in her wardrobe, right? And it was a steal at $29!! Nice basic heather grey v-neck.... will go with black, grey, and navy.... can add a lacy tank underneath or a necklace or scarf on top.... can go under a blazer or jacket, with a skirt or pants..... (CAN YOU SEE ME TRYING TO JUSTIFY THE PURCHASE HERE??).

What I really need is BLACK PANTS, but so far no luck!

What kinds of sweaters did you buy??? Do you prefer the big bulky thick knit ones or the thinner?? Plain or decorative? Wool, cashmere, blend, or synthetic?

Bonus: We have NO junk sitting around the house. We actually went to my middle son's doctor's appointment about his weight and the doctor asked the same question. And my son (to our happiness) said there was NOTHING in the house to eat besides healthy snacks .... and my son was also laughing about it. (In the past he would have been angry about this.) He told the doctor this always happens when his parents are dieting!

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I'll bet you were SO HAPPY that DS was able to honestly tell the doctor that there was NO JUNK in the house!! And remember.... you aren't just dieting.... you are starting a new healthy life journey, right??

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my insulated water bottle. I don't have the Hydroflask but a similar one. I have one by Thermos and it is my constant companion. I had 2 but actually lost one this weekend. I am hoping it shows up. I love cold water so having ice water around the clock that I can just keep refilling and sipping is great.

Where did you get it? Our last good insulated water bottle broke a few weeks ago and I haven't found a new one that I like yet. Both of the kids carry water bottles to school with them every day (plus of course, DD brings one to swim) and they hate it when the bottles sweat on their desks and in their backpacks.

I want a new scale. I just haven't really looked for one yet. I have an old digital WW one. My recommendation is to get one that you can put a full size plate on and still be able to read the numbers. I like to just put my dinner plate on the scale and then put the food directly on it rather than dirty additional dishes and have to keep transferring the food from one place to the other. Definitely get one that is digital and can do both ounces and grams.

Well except that I don't think I will be having dinner. Too tired to make anything, don't really have anything to make and nothing sounds good anyway. Everything I want has gluten and that would be a good idea. All the gf options I have aren't worth the carbs! I am so absolutely tired that I just want to crawl into bed.

Wow! You must be really tired to skip supper! Hope you found something healthy, low-carb, and gluten free to eat. Your body needs that fuel after a full work day!

I did have one huge bright spot because I totally forgot that today is my house cleaning day. A friend of mine cleans houses and comes here once a month. It is worth every penny (and she doesn't charge much!). It is so wonderful to come home to a clean house with sparkling bathrooms, mopped and vacuumed floors, and a clean kitchen. Of course since I forgot she was coming we didn't clean up the clutter so I am rather embarrassed about that. And I really hope no one left their dirty underwear on the bathroom floor!

LUCKY!!

Weather is getting bad and we expect snow overnight. Everyone was taking bets on if school would be closed or delayed. My guess is just a 2 hour delay. But the forecast seems to be changing to maybe not really any snow so could be a normal day. I really want to sleep in! Probably won't know until around 5am. I think they will wait until the last minute to decide. Most other districts around us have already announced a delay.

So since I may be up at zero dark thirty I am going to crawl to bed. Everyone have a great Friday!

Had a day at work... just very stressful and inducing... was required to all day even though I had so much to be doing out in the field. I how they expect us to keep up... Not making choices the last few days, diet but exercise ! Plus my and I decided to move back the wedding date, due to $, guess I will have to wait longer to be. Oh, and DS's big day is on Monday! Have to figure out how to avoid the! Ok, ok I will stop and go get myself a

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I'm so sorry your work day wasn't good. And double sorry you've had to move back the wedding date. But I'm sure it will be a PERFECT day, whenever it finally happens!

How old is DS going to be? My DS turns 15 in less than 10 days! He's my BABY! How did this happen??

Ummm... NONE! I hate exercising. I literally have to force myself to move EVERY DAY! Some day I hope to find the PERFECT type of exercise for me. Maybe I am just too "type A" and the entire time I am exercising I am thinking about what else I "should" be doing. But I KNOW that I need to exercise, virtually every day. So for now I stick with walking and running (usually intervals), some free weights to keep my arms and shoulders slightly toned, and a bit of circuit training to shake things up. Should definitely do more ab work, but oh well.

My favorite form of exercise is going to a gym or class. Love step classes. That being said cannot afford it at the moment, so walking it is for now.

How about doing your own at home? I made my own step a few years ago from some scrap lumber and created my own step program with my Ipod. Once you know the basic steps (which you do from having taken the class) it should be easy. Sure, it isn't as much fun as a group class.... You can also buy steps at Target/Walmart.... and I often see them used at the GW or SA.

Do you have a Wii with Wii Fit? I also put the Wii balance board on TOP of the step I built to make it more challenging.

Bonus?

"home nurse", "school & home counselor", "chauffer" and house manager.

QOTD: my fave exercise is any high intensity aerobics. Right now I'm doing turbo fire. In m former life (before kids) I was a gym rat and loved spending 2 hours a day 6 days a week at the gym doing free weights and the elliptical and stair master... But I don't have time like that anymore!

Bonus: wife, mom, writer, baker, introvert and sadly lonely

Have a great day everyone!

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WOW! That previous exercise routine makes me Did you really love it?

I'm sorry you are lonely. I have moments like that, despite my busy life. I think it is because I don't have any real close friends IRL. My Mom lives 2 hours away (although we talk daily) and my DD is leaving for college in the fall (we are close, but I understand I need to be her Mom and not her "friend" right now).

Actually I'm really loving running now! Also I'm addicted to the ellipticals at the gym. I can just put a tv show on and roll!

Wife. Mom. Nerd.

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Just three words? I kept reworking mine over and over to fit in everything I wanted and still stick to just 10 words! Glad you like the elliptical. I find it makes my toes fall asleep for some reason! I try to stick to 20 minutes or less on it for that reason.

Thank you for coaching last week Pamela! And for taking over this week Emily!

Pamela--I missed that your DD is getting contacts. Tom got them in 7th or 8th grade (can't remember) and always did really well with them. He's pretty blind without some form of corrective lens, so that might be part of it. But he misplaced lots of other things but never lost his glasses or contacts. I bet she'll do great with them!

Here's to hoping! She can be a bit of a "loser". When I asked for her lunch sack this morning, she said it was probably with her retainer (which hasn't been seen in weeks). But it turned up.... and hopefully her retainer will soon! I can SEE her teeth shifting!

Looking forward to updating the weights this weekend!

And I need to get my info to you NOW!!

Right now my favorite form of exercise is anything that doesn't involve running. Actually I love to run, I am just burned out and looking forward to getting back into a routine that involves more classes and less ridiculously long runs.

10 words: I have to think about this one.

Hope everyone has a great Friday! Off to run my mile and get ready for work.

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Hope your mile goes smoothly and your work day is fast!

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Good Friday to my friends! ANOTHER DAY OFF for me! While part of me is going , part of me is also going I like the money! DD and I are desperately trying to save for a graduation trip to Disney and I can't pull anything from the regular budget.

DH is totally against the trip because of college expenses coming up, but if I can do it for $1000 or less, I should be all set (already have about $800 saved). Sure, I KNOW that the money should go into the college account, but in the grand scheme of things, $1000 is a drop in the bucket and you know what... YOLO!!! Many, many things will be changing in our lives in the coming few years. DD won't be here and I am going to miss her like crazy! This may be our last chance to do something like this for a long time! And I hate to be morbid, but let's face it... you don't live forever! I am very frugal and believe in saving for emergencies, retirement, etc., but I am not going to spend my entire life saving for "what if" and not living in the NOW! Sure this would be a splurge, but I don't think I would ever regret it.

Okay friends! Time for me to get moving. I never made it onto the website for my new job training yesterday, so that is a priority for today! Hope it isn't boring!

My husband has a 12-year old daughter who has, by no choice due to my health freakiness, become somewhat of a better eater. When she asks if she can have a junkie snack, I tell her to try and have some cheese or something other than fried, sugary, or just plain crap. Her usual reply is "okay".

Good for you!!

DH on the other hand is a control-freak about the grocery shopping, mainly because he knows I would probably put us in the poor house shopping at "Whole Paycheck Supermarket". He's very sensitive about his eating habits and even though he has improved somewhat since hooking up with me, I still cringe at alot of what he does chow on. He's a perfect example of what I call "mindless eating". He sits on the couch at night, reading the paper on his phone, chowing down on Cheetos and marshmallows. I don't think he even really realizes what he's doing. He does run with me and loves our elliptical, and works his butt off doing stuff around the house, but it's so hard to find that happy middle ground with him where he won't get upset because I'm trying to nicely stay on his case about his eating habits. Men!

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SERIOUSLY???? I mean, it is great that he stays active and all, but all of the junk and sugar is going to catch up with him. Being slim doesn't automatically equal healthy. Hopefully you can continue to resist the junk he buys and set a good healthy example for him and his DD!

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Howdy folks! I FINALLY started the training for my new job today... at least the web-based training. While I am SURE that the job will be great, the training is a bit boring and I can't STAND just sitting still doing NOTHING but listening! When DH went out for a dip in the hot tub I had an idea .....

I put the training on speaker (was listening with ear buds so as not to disturb DH's work), pulled on my workout gear, and started MOVING! Squats, lunges, tricep dips, wall-sits, 21's, jump rope, step ups (pulled a random step stool into the office) overhead presses. I was still able to concentrate on the intro and all of the info, but I didn't feel like I was stagnating and it really went much quicker! I might try to complete a bit more after lunch, but I did nearly 90 minutes this morning and now I need to get on with my day!

Serving pancakes tonight for a swim team fundraiser. How will I resist eating them??? Guess I will be SURE to fill up with a healthy dinner before heading down to the Y!

I also need to pack up some goodie bags for the HS swim team (DD is the SWEETEST captain and I'm trying to help her by being a good "co-captain ). They have a VERY long meet on Sunday and DD thought it would be nice to provide some healthy snacks. I agreed to fund this idea and bought a bunch of stuff last night.... small bottles of Gatorade, trail mix packets, almonds, apples, raisins, etc. I will pack up a bag for each swimmer and the coaches and DD will attach a name tag and some sort of inspiration.

BTW, I think I forgot to mention..... DD got a call week accepting her to her TOP CHOICE COLLEGE!! Now we just need the paperwork and hopefully they will "show me the money!" Looks like she will be heading to Roger Williams University in southern Rhode Island. Still waiting to hear from 4 other schools, but this was her number one choice. Of course, it will depend on any $$ offers from the other schools, plus swim coach input. She already got one acceptance with a $16,000 offer, but it was a safety school.

Off to start lunch and proceed on with my day! My bed isn't even made yet!! TTYL.................P